“Message to the Democratic Party Leadership”

posted at 10:19 pm on March 30, 2007 by Bryan

From Cpl Chris Mason, a soldier who was killed in Iraq in November, 2006. His father posted this video today.

Chris Mason, 32, was a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He once told his brother over the telephone that “he loved being (in Iraq) and waking up there because it was another day helping those people,” Garland Mason said.

“He talked about it a lot. He loved the people, he loved the children that would come out and hold his hand and walk with him. He loved training the Iraqi army. He had a great relationship with the Iraqis.”

Where do we find such men?

Here’s one clue:

Baker High School graduate Chris Mason wasn’t afraid of dying in Iraq because of his faith in Jesus Christ and his belief in the importance of helping others…

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Comments

It’s a little difficult for me to fathom that Corporal Mason and his mates found it fun in Iraq. That having been said, I am not equivocating or making a values judgement on his work, or on the military in general.

The warrior ethos is something I am very thankful for, and my failure to understand it means no more or less than that I’m not over there doing it. Those are big shoes that our men and women are filling over there.

Here is my message to the Democratic leadership:

It is not for you, in your ivory towers and Capital Hill offices, to decide whether our men and women died in vain. That is a thought which will weigh heavily on the minds, backs, and souls of the people that currently serving, their family members, and the families of the dearly departed.

Your actions in bemoaning the fate of those that gave the ultimate sacrifice bely a gross misunderstanding at best, and a festering cynicism at worst. Let our uniformed personnel do their job with an absolute minimum of interference, and when we are victorious (as I know we will be when you sit back and shut up), then, and only then, will the bravery of the dead be seen through to its most logical and comforting conclusion.

Very touching video. It is amazing that someone who was fighting in Iraq had a better grasp of the long term view of creating a democratic Iraq than many politicians back here in America. His statement about segregation really strikes a cord because we were still enslaving an entire population 100 years after our founding and went to war with each other over that wrong of slavery of the African American people. It took almost 200 years for us to finally say as a nation that all men and women are truly created equal. Not just certain races.

This man was a true patriot and deserves all of our respect and admiration for his personal sacrifice.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, on Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
and
Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible.

You should have posted a hankie alert…
God Bless You Sir and, God Bless the United States of America. May you forever stand strong with good men like this.
Where do we get these men? We get them from communities all over America. That’s where we get them.

Chris, thank you for your service and the ultimate sacrifice you made in the name of freedom. My deepest sympathies to your family and circle of friends. C.S. Lewis said “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” Thank you for your courage.

Bryan, I have complete faith that the American soldier remains what he has always been, the best fighting man in human history. If the American people will just have patience — and defeating the terrorist insurgency in Iraq may be a long, slow and painfully bloody ordeal — I know that the American soldier will eventually triumph.

Bryan, I have complete faith that the American soldier remains what he has always been, the best fighting man in human history. If the American people will just have patience — and defeating the terrorist insurgency in Iraq may be a long, slow and painfully bloody ordeal — I know that the American soldier will eventually triumph.

Our troops deserve more prayer, and less politics.

Ali-Bubba on March 31, 2007 at 12:08 AM

I agree totally but unfortunately too many Americans and too many in Congress in particular have too many excuses (poor ones to say the least) to pull out of Iraq before the job is done and make the sacrifice of so many brave men and women all for nothing. It makes me sick with worry that they might get their way. I hope we as a nation pull through.

It makes me sick with worry that they might get their way. I hope we as a nation pull through.

Yakko77 on March 31, 2007 at 12:16 AM
Don’t hope, pray. And take heart. By challenging Bush the way they’re doing, the Democrats are inviting the veto. When he vetos it, he’ll defend that veto from the bully pulpit, and will make it clear where the dividing line is.

The Democrats are walking into — no, they’re sprinting into — a political trap. For Congress to attempt to undermine the Commander-in-Chief’s clear constitutional authority to direct military action in time of war is a very serious thing, and will do permanent damage the Democrats’ reputation.

Hey, Bry, when are y’all going to get that “preview” function on comments? You should put up a PayPal bleg and take up a collection to pay for the upgrade.

Ali-Bubba on March 31, 2007 at 12:41 AM

I care enough about this website and the professional, patriotic and honest journalism that all of you at HA provide that I’d donate some money to help out. This site is important enough to me that I’d help out in that way.

Google the keywords, ‘silver star recipients’. There probably are other keyword searches that will also bring up stories like Chris Mason’s. What stunned me is HOW MANY of them there are! The [expletive deleted] media won’t report them.

My sympathies to the Mason family, and all the other families who have paid the price. Which is why we can NOT abandon this fight.

Bless you, CPL Mason, and your family. Thank you for your service and ultimate sacrifice. Salute!

Even now, he still serves his country through this message, although it’s hard to imagine an audience less receptive to it than the Democratic Party. (With the usual exceptions made for Joe Lieberman and the few remaining sane patriotic Democrats.) You’ll notice that Chris Mason was 32–the enemedia and the Democrats (but I repeat myself) try their best to perpetuate a false stereotype of soldiers being too young and ignorant to know better than to serve their country and support the war. I grind my teeth every time I hear our servicemembers referred to as “kids”–it’s patronizing and disrespectful to the men and women who wear the uniform with honor, courage, and pride. The military includes people from the entire range of age eligibility, and from all regions and walks of life. And you could pick nearly any of them at random and they’d have a better understanding of the war than Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi. But then Reid, Pelosi, and their ilk aren’t worthy of scrubbing out CPL Mason’s latrine with a toothbrush.

I’m not going to watch it. I have a good friend serving with the 82nd in Baghdad right now. My middle boy ships out to the gulf in april and my youngest son goes to baghdad in august.

My heart couldn’t take it. But I can say this. God bless Chris, his battle buddies, his family and friends. I owe you and yours a debt that I can NEVER repay.

csdeven on March 31, 2007 at 12:40 AM

And God Bless you. I am an Army brat, my father having served 32 years in the Army. I know what it is like to have loved ones away at war. They also serve who only stand and wait. God be with your sons and all our soldiers.

It is once again time to change the tone of the discussion of what is going on in Iraq. Militarily it is won. We know it, the jihadists know it and all that is left is to convince the liberals that it is won. What is not settled is the political situation. It is up to the leaders of Iraq to step forward and act as leaders. Granted our politicians with their ignorance of understanding the culture, whether intended or not, is hurting. When our politicians feed the propaganda machine of the enemy what are the people of the country to think? Step back one minute and ask yourself how willing would you be to step up knowing that at least half of the people of the country that is guiding you down this path to democracy is actively advocating to leave you out in the cold? While your heads of states have on occasions said that Syria and Iran are interferring other countries are courting these same countries to make nice? I wonder if all of these wannabee peacemakers even had the decency to call the leaders of Iraq and ask for their input?
So no, the “war” of arms is won, marauding bands of thugs remain, but by far the biggest threat to Iraq now is our own politicians.

Hello Nancy . . . if you can stop hobnobbing with your terrorist friends for a while why don’t you go visit these brave Americans? I’m sure they would be more than happy to give you a candid evaluation of your performance so far.

It is real men like this brave solider that I will always be a conservative and in their debt. They keep my family safe, and are the defenders of the free world. I am truly humbled and sad for his family, for they lost a great man. But he did not die in vain, as long as there are those who will remember him and stand up for his principles.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you,
Jesus Christ and the American G.I.
One died for your soul;
the other for your freedom

Julia Ward Howe expressed this thought a century before I was born, in the lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic. If any more Flying Imams make a point of praying to Allah loudly and publicly, and choose my departure gate to do it, I know how to respond. I’ll be thinking of Cpl. Mason while quietly but firmly singing Howe’s song, especially when I get to this line:

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free

Or if I’m in a really in-your-face mood, I could go with Onward, Christian Soldiers with my butt squarely facing Mecca (and therefore me looking right at them).

He captures my sentiments exactly. I’m a 46 year old reservist with a great wife (22 years), 3 grown boys, great job who is just basically living the American dream. But if that phone rings and the voice on the other end says “You’re going to Iraq”, I will not hesitate and if I come home dead or handicapped, I will have no regrets.

Man, that was inspirational. I thank the brave men and women for their service and I thank his family for sharing this with us. This should b played on Fox News, every hour on the hour.

You can choose to do the greater good

Helping others achieve the freedoms and liberties that we Americans enjoy is the greatest good of all. God bless this man and all others who are willing to give up their lives for the freedom of others.

Hello Nancy . . . if you can stop hobnobbing with your terrorist friends for a while why don’t you go visit these brave Americans?

And if she doesn’t, I hope somebody up on the Hill, or maybe in the media (Fred Thompson?) will her a whole raft of sh*t about it. Go all that way, and not visit the troops you allegedly support? Don’t seem right.

The left is wrong to think that there are not times that we wonder if the sacrifice of our boys is worth it. They are wrong to think that we don’t worry that things are out of control. I watch and listen closely to the news stories out of Iraq. I surf the milblogs and Iraqi blogs. I read European news pieces. Each sometime tell a different story. So who do we believe?

I believe the warrior.

I believe the warrior because he sees what we do not, because he is the one putting his life on the line. There is honesty there borne out of his willing sacrifice.
He lives the war.

The republicans should be holding walkouts during votes…they should be staging interviews on the steps of the house..they should be in front of the cameras until there is no choice but to pay attention.